A recent court filing has brought to light a severe workplace injury incident involving a subcontractor on an oil well site. Jaime Perez filed a complaint against NexTier Oilfield Solutions LLC in the District Court of Harris County, Texas, on August 28, 2024.
The case centers around an incident that occurred on June 11, when Perez was employed by Force Pressure Control and working on an oil well owned by Devon Energy in Cuero, DeWitt County, Texas. NexTier Oilfield Solutions LLC was also working on the same well, performing fracking operations. According to the complaint, after completing their tasks, employees of NexTier moved a metal grate covering a cellar pit below the rig floor but failed to replace it properly. This left a dangerous gap over the pit without any warning to other workers, including Perez.
Perez alleges that while he was performing his duties and walking backward while pulling tubing, he fell into the uncovered hole. His leg plunged into the pit while his body slammed onto the rig floor, resulting in severe injuries to his leg, knee, back, and other parts of his body. These injuries have required extensive medical treatment and are expected to impact him for the rest of his life.
The lawsuit accuses NexTier of negligence for failing to ensure the grate was securely replaced and not warning others about the hazard they had created. The plaintiff claims that this negligence directly caused his injuries and seeks damages for physical pain and suffering (both past and future), mental anguish (both past and future), physical impairment (both past and future), medical expenses (both past and future), disfigurement (both past and future), lost wages in the past, and loss of earning capacity in the future.
Furthermore, Perez argues that NexTier's conduct amounted to gross negligence as defined under Texas law because it involved an extreme degree of risk with conscious indifference to safety. As such, he is also seeking exemplary damages.
Representing Jaime Perez are attorneys Robert Wilson from Carabin & Shaw P.C., located at SE Ashby Pl., Ste 1100 San Antonio Texas 78212; John A. Davis from J.A. Davis & Associates L.L.P., located at 2914 Pleasanton Road San Antonio Tx 782221. The case has been assigned Case ID: 2024-57294 with Judge Marilyn Burgess presiding over it.